SRR Sondstead World – Sondstead, Maredoratica, & Intl. News

by **Sondstead** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 1:09 am

In 1924, the Federal Diet of Sondstead voted to authorize the creation of Sündstedrisjh Rikjres-Rädio, a public corporation funded by license fee, to create and broadcast radio programming in Sondstead. On 16 September 1924, Sündstedrisjh Rikjres-Rädio made it's — and the country's — first radio broadcast. Since it's foundation as a pioneering public broadcaster, it has continued that long story of innovation and service, and a year after introducing the television to Sondstead, adopted it's current name — SRR — in 1952.

In 1931, to expand the reach of Sündstedrisjh Rikjres-Rädio to the country's then colonies and to the Sondsteadish diaspora worldwide, Radio Sondstead World was created, broadcasting Sondsteadish-language programming via shortwave. English-language broadcasts were inaugurated in 1933, and over the decades the service became known as a source of trustworthy and informative programming even in oppressive dictatorships and introduced the whole world to Sondsteadish culture. By the end of the 1980s, shortwave broadcasts were available in twenty languages.

While radio broadcasting has been scaled back over the past two decades in the face of new technological and political realities, we continued to grow and innovate, introducing an internet news site in 1994 and a satellite TV station in 1997. That same year, to reflect the new focus, we became SRR Sondstead World. Today, we continue to broadcast shortwave and internet radio services in Arabic, Czech, English, French, German, and Sondsteadish, provide our website in those languages, and broadcast 24/7 satellite television in French and Sondsteadish.

It is our sincere hope that this nearly a century of service will allow us to continue providing you with the highest quality of international and Sondsteadish news.

Klas Henrikjrssünr
Director-General, SRR

May Forney
Head of SRR Sondstead World

News Index

Latest News Article: Prime Minister confirms bid for third term in 2017 (2 September 2016)
Latest Indepth: Why Lindkwist Has A Foreign Policy Problem (23 July 2015)

by **Sondstead** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 1:20 am

SONDSTEADISH EMBASSY UNDER FIRE
"CIVIL WAR TYPE SITUATION" IN KAMCHASTKIA; SONDSTEADISH EMBASSY ATTACKED

20 January 2013

ASTERIOPOL — At an unscheduled press conference today, Minister for Foreign Affairs Märten Änderssünr announced that just an hour ago the Sondsteadish embassy in Koshelev, the capital city of the Federal Republic of Kamchastkia, came under fire by their own Kamchastkian police guards. As far-right protests in the small northeast Asian country spiral out of control, state television has reported that government forces have begun defecting to the rebels, who have seemingly launched a concerted attempt to overthrow the government.

"There is a civil war type situation in that country [Kamchastkia] right now. We do not know if the embassy is still under siege as reports are conflicting.", Änderssünr said at the Federal Diet press room. The government is said to have been alerted of the attack by a diplomatic cable sent by the Ambassador, Ana Mörgen. At least two people are reported killed and the embassy was unable to reach the Kamchastkian foreign ministry by phone.

Änderssünr did not rule out the possibility of a peacekeeping action in Kamchastkia, but only under "certain circumstances" and preferably as part of an international mission. He reiterated that at the present time, the focus of the government is on rescuing the embassy staff.

by **Sondstead** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 4:21 pm

WINDSTRAND MAYORAL BY-ELECTION CALLED
ACTING MAYOR JÖNGJR ANNOUNCES 3 MARCH DATE TO REPLACE WÄNDERZ

23 January 2013

_{Lord Mayor Karl Wänderz resigned Friday
to take office as Ambassador to Yohannes.}

WINDSTRAND — Following the resignation on Friday of Karl Wänderz, who was last week appointed Ambassador to Yohannes by the Prime Minister, Acting Lady Mayor of Windstrand Lineä Jöngjr has formally called a mayoral by-election to replace him as executive of Sondstead's largest city, to be held on the third of March.

While the Conservatives at first glance are favoured to hold the office — the party has held it without interruption since 1987 and Wänderz himself was elected to five terms since 1995 — the election is expected to hotly contested, especially with the Socialist Labour Party aiming to unseat the Conservative-lead centre-right coalition in the Federal Diet this October.

"It would be good to remember that Wänderz held on so long, even in the face of general Conservative unpopularity as in 1995, 2003, and 2007 because he had a personal popularity beyond what people though of his policies", said Kadjin Fairchild, the former SAP interim leader and presently first seat MPA for Beckin-Nort, who unnamed SAP insiders have reported is considering running in the by-election. Leading Conservatives, however, have disagreed; "Windstrand is a wealthy, centre-right city, the Conservative government is popular right now, and Wänderz has been well regarded as Lord Mayor" was the response of Minister for Finance and party Deputy Leader Mihäel Karlssunr, "the odds do not favour the opposition".

While no candidate of any party has formally entered the race, Acting Lady Mayor Lineä Jöngjr, who has been President of the Council since after the 2007 Municipal Elections, is already considered the leading candidate for the Conservatives. Besides Fairchild, Jöhän Ntyamba — who if elected would be the city's first black Lord Mayor — is also speculated to be a potential SAP candidate. While party insiders have claimed the Prime Minister's Office has been pressuring their coalition partner, the Centre–Liberal Party, not to field a candidate, Gaard E̊ugje̊nssunr, the Centre–Liberal second seat MPA for Abdstorp-Kunsbankjr, has also been speculated as being a potential candidate.

by **Sondstead** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 2:51 pm

It is my pleasure today to announce that the SRR Foundation has acceded to the Universal Broadcast Union, the world's leading association of broadcast companies both public and private.

I also wish to outline to our listeners and viewers what his will mean for them; in short, it will only improve your experience. SRR remains editorially and organizationally independent and fully funded by television license payers. No programming will be removed from the air as a result of this move. However, this will facilitate increased cooperation with other broadcasters worldwide, giving SRR a new level of access to international news and allowing the licensing of the best and most informative foreign television programming for our Sondsteadish viewers. It will also allow us, better than ever, to cover international sporting events such as the Olympic Games and World Cup.

While I understand you may have concerns, I am confident you will in time appreciate the new opportunities brought to us as a member of the UBU.

Klas Henrikjrssünr
Director-General, SRR

OOC: Also, no comments make me a sad panda. And if you're interested in suggesting a review, I'll probably be writing an in-depth article on the weekend. If I write them at all.

by **Sondstead** » Sun Jan 27, 2013 2:27 pm

NEW SUBMARINES TO BE TWO-GENDER
NAVY SECRETARY: MONARK-CLASS REPLACEMENT WILL BE ORDERED WITH ACCOMMODATIONS FOR FEMALE SUBMARINERS

27 January 2013

_{Monark-class submarine HSoMS Kün Eusebius IV leaving Sündsgeät in 2008.}

ASTERIOPOL — Parliamentary Secretary for the Navy Körbin Arnman announced today that, while the cabinet will not require the Navy to refit their present submarines to allow women to serve aboard them, they are committed to opening the submarine service to female sailors and will ensure that any new submarines purchased will be ordered with two-gender accommodations from the shipyard.

The Navy has, since allowing women to serve in submarines was first debated in 2000, been adamant that it would be impractical to refit the present Monark-class nuclear submarines with such accommodations; even then Minister for Defence and SAP deputy leader (and later Prime Minister) Rübert Hnütjeärd described it as a "pipe dream".

The four boats presently in service, which were purchased from DCNS and LSW Fikjen in the 1980s to a design nearly identical to the Rubis-class, are considered small and cramped even by submarine standards — at just under 74 metres they are the smallest nuclear submarines in service — and because of this and their technically near-infinite endurance, even when legislation was passed in 1994 allowing women to serve in almost all combat positions, Prime Minister Eädweärd Tomassunr said that opening the submarine service was "a matter for another day".

However, any future submarine class purchased to replace the Monark boats — which are planned to serve until at least 2020 — will likely be larger and will be able to incorporate lessons learned from other Navies which allow women to serve aboard both extended endurance diesel submarines and on nuclear submarines. "This is not a leap of faith; other countries have accomplished it successfully. Nor is it an inordinate technical challenge; this policy will only take effect when new boats come into service and can be built with mixed-gender living in mind.", said Arnman during an interview in the February issue of Wagsum, the armed forces magazine.

The new policy follows a statement from Minister for Defence Elfred Wirt last year that the government had begun investigating options of both off-the-shelf designs or a joint development program to replace the Navy's present submarine fleet.

by **Sondstead** » Fri Feb 01, 2013 3:22 pm

OLYMPICS KICK OFF
VIII WINTER OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY HELD IN LIVENTIA

1 February 2013

CITY CENTRE, LIVENTIA — Crowds of more than 180,000 people today cheered as the opening ceremony of the eight annual Winter Olympic Games was held at the National Stadium in City Centre, the former capital of Liventia. With the games returning to Liventia and a Winter Olympic record of seventy-six participating teams, the Olympic Council has high hopes of putting on the best Winter Games yet.

Despite — or rather, because of — Sondsteadish non-participation, the games have already attracted controversy in Sondstead. The still young Sondsteadish Olympic Committee confirmed after last Sunday's entrance deadline had passed that it had been unable to assemble a team and that Sondstead would be unable to participate in it's first Olympic Games. Taking responsibility for the failure, Parliamentary Secretary for Sport Lagle Ilves announced her resignation yesterday, and the continuing woes of the Sondsteadish Olympic Committee has lead to calls from Shadow Minister for Culture Klemes Krämer and football legend Juljan Larssunr that the government consider creating a dedicated Minister for Sport position separate from the Minister for Culture.

Due to delays, the first events will be held tomorrow morning, starting with ice hockey. Sondsteaders are expected to follow the hockey events intently, while most other events are not predicted to draw as large of an audience in the country.

by **Sondstead** » Sat Feb 02, 2013 10:29 am

JÖNGJR SELECTED AS MAYORAL CANDIDATE
CONSERVATIVE DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS SELECT ACTING LADY MAYOR TO RUN IN 3 MARCH ELECTION

2 February 2013

_{Lineä Jöngjr became Acting Lady
Mayor last month.}

WINDSTRAND — At the Conservative electoral district association meetings this morning in Windstrand City, Acting Lady Mayor Lineä Jöngjr was, nigh-unanimously, selected as the party's candidate to run in the upcoming by-election to replace Karl Wänderz, who was appointed Ambassador to Yohannes last month.

The results of the association meetings came as little surprise; Jöngjr had already been for five years Wänderz's second-in-command as President of the Municipal Council, for two weeks has been serving as Acting Lady Mayor of Sondstead's largest city after his resignation on 18 January, and is widely regarded as the front runner.

"There is no question Ms. Jöngjr is qualified for this job. There are few people who have served the city of Windstrand more diligently than her.", Issa Yonan, the Conservative first seat MPA for Käfmenensü-West, told SRR outside Aleppos Ristorante, which the party rented out for the meeting, "I'm proud to have voted for her today".

Jöngjr is expected to face off against either Kadjin Fairchild or Jöhän Ntyamba on the Socialist Labour side, both of whom announced their plans to run earlier this week. The SAP district associations will meet next Sunday to select the party's candidate.

by **Zwangzug** » Sat Feb 02, 2013 4:24 pm

The Kerlagrad Courier
Yet more headlines

NEWS:
Parliament ignores things, life carries on as usual
Olympics continue in Liventia
Country not participating in Olympics arguably covers it better than several countries who actually do
Ice hockey competitions begin, followed intensely in some countries
And less intensely in others that disapprove of sex-segregated sports
And also who don't know how to ice skate very well

(OOC: Very nicely done!)

by **Sondstead** » Sun Feb 10, 2013 11:55 am

FAIRCHILD SELECTED TO RUN AGAINST JÖNGJR
SOCIALIST LABOUR MPA CHOSEN BY DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS OVER NTYAMBA, SÖRENSSÜNR

10 February 2013

_{Kadjin Fairchild, the former Socialist
Labour interim leader, will be her
party's Mayoral candidate in March.}

WINDSTRAND — After several hours, the Windstrand City SAP announced this afternoon that Kadjin Fairchild was selected over rivals Jöhän Ntyamba and Karl Sörenssünr to be her party's candidate in the 3 March by-election to replace Karl Wänderz as Lord Mayor in Sondstead's largest city.

Compared to Lineä Jöngjr's nearly unanimous selection as the Conservative candidate last week, which even Jöngjr jokingly called "practically my coronation", the SAP electoral district association meetings were a contentious affair that ultimately lasted several hours. When the dust settled, the first seat MPA for Beckin-Nort and former SAP interim leader Fairchild had won only the slimmest of overall majorities with 50% of the vote, but still well ahead of Sörenssünr's 25% and Ntyamba's 24%, with a handful of votes being cast for other candidates.

The biggest surprise came as Karl Sörenssünr — a city councillor known best for his association with the party's right faction and with disgraced former Prime Minister Rübert Hnütjeärd, whose youngest daughter he is engaged to — narrowly beat out Ntyamba, a twenty-year veteran parliamentarian and one of the first two black MPAs elected for constituencies in the Sondsteadish metropole, who was considered not just the likely runner up but a viable contender for the nomination.

"It wasn't completely expected but it's no surprise either", said Shadow Minister for Finance and second seat Käfmenensü-Eäst MPA Garard Akland, who voted for Sörenssünr, "Fairchild and Ntyamba are both more to the left within the party, but the sentiment in Windstrand favours a different sort of candidate, someone who's more realistic."

While the SAP right faction's line — which was backed up by many analysts, such as the non-partisan Niklassunr Institute — was that Sörenssünr's showing was rooted in ideology, some have already suggested race may have played a part.

"Can you really say people didn't think of race when voting?", said author and commentator Günder Riruakgo, "You can see that the last opinion polling on Thursday had Fairchild and Ntyamba at 46% and 33% and Sörenssünr only at 21%, and after that it looks like what happened was the so-called 'Bradley effect', where whites are likely to say they will vote for a black candidate but aren't as likely to actually vote for them." The methodology of some opinion polling for the election has been questioned.

This morning, the Centre Liberal electoral district associations also met, and with 93% of the vote district councillor and 2009 parliamentary candidate Mariam Youkhanna was selected. Youkhanna was the only candidate with any name recognition to run; according to party insiders, the federal party pressured other potential candidates such as Gaard E̊ugje̊nssunr not to run so as to defer to their senior coalition partner in parliament, the Conservatives.

The deadline for candidates to register is on Friday.

by **Sondstead** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 2:53 pm

Police arrest bomb-thrower in Erggedens
Radiatian migrant worker threw Molotov cocktail into home

12 February 2013

_{Migrant worker Nikolaj Kasun is accused of bombing the
home of a grocery store proprietor in Erggedens.}

Erggedens, Sitonland — Local police arrested this evening 28-year old Nikolaj Kasun, a migrant construction worker who admitted to setting the house of a local shopkeeper aflame with a petrol bomb in the early hours of the morning.

Kasun, a Radiatian national, had been on the job at the troubled Erggedens nuclear plant construction site since last June. Police gathered from interviewing witnesses that he had been drinking heavily at a pub in downtown Erggedens Monday night before entering a grocery store, where he was involved in an altercation with the proprietor and was reportedly physically ejected from the store by him and another customer.

The following morning, firefighters were called to the home of the store's proprietor. While the house was heavily damaged by the fire, the proprietor and wife were both rescued, and the propreietor was released from the hospital following treatment for smoke inhalation, which his doctor described as "fairly mild". His wife, however, remains hospitalized.

A search of the wreckage revealed the broken bottle, which tested positive for gasoline traces. Following a series of interviews the police found Kasun, who after questioning admitted to the arson. A search of his home turned up a can of gasoline, an unlicensed firearm, and extremist literature.

Erggedens, a quiet town of some 14,000 people, was selected in 2009 as the site for a new nuclear power plant to be operated by a consortium of EnergjiäWest and SondAtom, construction of which has been plagued by multiple issues. Seventy percent of the workers are migrants and violence, as well as xenophobia, is not new; in January, a Muslim crane operator at the plant was stabbed by an intoxicated foreign worker, who had Islamophobic literature in his home, at a pub, while in 2011 two local teenagers stalked another Muslim man in a car and ran him over.

by **Sondstead** » Wed Feb 13, 2013 9:05 pm

KMF: Decision on new factory to be made before end of March
Sölberg discusses automaker's expansion plans in Tet Finanse̊spost interview

14 February 2013

_{Sondstead's largest automaker, KMF, has launched an
ambitious international expansion plan.}

Twedmünster — It's been a good month for KMF Automobile; despite previous investor skepticism, the company's aggressive expansion plan now appears to be paying off with concrete distribution agreements to launch the KMF brand in three markets, most notably Yohannes, reached, and share prices have rallied over the past two weeks.

The company hopes to expand their sales by hundreds of thousands of units a year and plans to launch a new supermini early next year. To build the new model, KMF has hinted at plans to open a new plant abroad, but has been coy with the specifics. President and COO Markus Sölberg, however, discussed the company's plans in greater detail yesterday in the February edition of Tet Finanse̊spost.

"We will be building a new plant. This is definite.", Sölberg told the magazine. "Our goals are to increase our sales overall and to increase our overseas presence, and to do that we will need increased production volumes.". He also stated the company will make a decision on the plant's location before the end of the March — but was less forthcoming on what countries are being considered to host it.

"There has been speculation in the media that a plant may be built in Yohannes. I can only say that we have looked at that country and identified certain business advantages that exist there.", was Sölberg's reply when asked about what country the plant may be built in. Earlier in the week, the automaker's chairman Jöhän Albanesi had said that shareholders backed building a plant in Yohannes, which is one of the world's largest consumer markets; the country bought more than 150 million new automobiles last year.

by **Sondstead** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 2:49 pm

"I can't find päprigäwörst anywhere in Kingsmouth"
Inside the new wave of Sondsteadish outmigration and my experience in Kington Langley

17 February 2013

_{Kingsmouth's imposing skyline.}

by E̊sbjus Harlan

Globalization is a fascinating thing. With increasing connections between every point on the globe, for the first time in decades there is now a major movement of Sondsteaders migrating abroad.

Royal Kingtonian Airways recently began offering daily flights to four cities in Kington Langley out of Nörditser, and Kingsmouth, that country's capital and largest city, has become home in the last few years to a vibrant Sondsteadish expatriate community, which the Foreign Ministry estimates now numbers several thousand — and thousands more in other cities such as Kingsford and Wexchester. And so, I decided to set out to Kingsmouth to take a look inside the other personal impact of globalization.

Why expatriate?

As I touched down in Kingsmouth aboard a Royal Kingtonian SAI 100, the first question in my mind was simple; what are the reasons people are emigrating? The answers were nearly as varied as the people. For some it was job offers, others a Kingtonian soulmate or an appreciation for Kingtonian culture. Almost all said they wanted an opportunity to use or improve their knowledge of English. And some were simply restless.

Söfjin — or "Sophie" to her Kingtonian friends and coworkers — Sarman, a 23-year old working as a barista at CuppaCoffee, the now global cafe chain that got it's start here, moved to Kingsmouth last year after finding life in a clean-cut Windstrand suburb boring. "I just wanted to see the world", she admits. "The pay isn't any better here, but it's an exciting place to live. It's scary, living in such a big place abroad, but exciting."

Culture shock, then opportunity

Others weren't as happy in the city. Jen Rürjeärd, a 29-year old working at one of the country's largest banks, came here when he was offered his job two years ago and has not enjoyed life in Kingsmouth. "There's this particular vibe which is almost still authoritarian, or at least puritan. The police are omnipresent and all the bars close at dusk. A lot of people it seems freak out about nudity on television and such." He added that the ghosts of the communist regime and the Civil War are still apparent. "Most everything's rebuilt, but the shortage of housing is visible everywhere. And some places they're still finding things from the war, like bombs that didn't go off."

While the pay, he said, was a little higher than what he got back home, he wasn't planning on staying for the long term. "I go back to Sondstead for Christmas and for the summer holiday. Last time I was there I got engaged, and I'd rather raise a family back home."

For akwafit, beer, and nightclub craving Sondsteaders, the local laws, which strictly forbid the sale of alcohol after certain times, and the lacking nightlife were perennial complaints. "It is a little weird how quiet the city seems to get at night", admitted Sarman. "It's a lot different from Centre Sten where you can find a full club and get wasted right until sunrise. I joke with coworkers that you can't see Kington Langley from space at night because all the locals are in bed and have the lights off by nine in the evening."

Some just missed the food. "I get homesick over it, I admit. No real rurbrad and I can't find päprigäwörst anywhere in Kingsmouth.", said Gjorg Mihäelssünr, a 30-year old IT consultant. With the growing Sondsteadish expat community and local tastes which are quickly becoming more and more international though, Mihäelssünr had an idea.

"My father used to run a delicatessen, back when I was a kid, and I helped out a lot before I left for uni. So I thought, why not live a little? It's worth it to try, isn't it?". After a few days on CONFERO, Mihäelssünr found a partner, a Questarian dentist in self-imposed exile from the Generalist regime, who invested several thousand dollars. Mihäelssünr had just bought the storefront for his deli when I met him.

"It's exciting even though it's stressful. Everyone told me that most restaurants fail in a few months, and I'll admit management isn't my field. But I'll still do some freelancing in IT, so I've got something to fall back on."

Old Kingsmouth

_{Gardens of the Royal Palace in Kingsmouth.}

When you see pictures of Kingsmouth, usually it's of the imposing skyline in the central business district; row after row of skyscrapers housing the economic heart of the country. What you see from the ground, however, is a bit different; despite the vastness of the CBD and it's modernist architecture and the brutalist communist-era apartment blocks on the outskirts, a great amount of historic Kingsmouth was somehow preserved through a revolution, seventy years of communism, a civil war, and the ongoing construction boom.

Hoping to find what draws tourists and expats to the city, on the morning of my third day I made my way to one of Kingsmouth's top draws for tourists; the Royal Palace. While not far from the city centre, the palace may as well be a world away from it, with it's sprawling gardens and Victorian architecture. Over the course of the morning I also browsed the Royal Kingtonian Museum, but was unable to linger; I had a flight to catch.

Narleson

Rather than return to Sondstead directly, I had chosen to take a domestic flight to the self-govering territory of the King Islands. The city of Narleson, the territory's capital, is, I was told, regarded as having one of the mildest climates in the country, and the difference, while not extreme, was noticeable; in Kingsmouth it had been a chilly (yet evidently unseasonably warm) 12.1 celsius, while Narleson was a comparatively balmy 17.8.

A popular destination for expats and tourists both from the mainland and abroad — including Sondstead — the attitude was warmer as well, possibly, I thought, a legacy of seventy years the islands spent as a de facto separate nation, largely left along by the communist government on the mainland. When I first met him in the afternoon, I asked Te̊o Karlman, a bartender who was born in Bankstead, about the more laid back personality of the people in Narleson.

"People here like to party", he shrugged. "I can't really compare though; I haven't been to Kingsmouth."

_{Pounding bears in Narleson after dark with Marisa
and Jenä.}

The party-loving character of the city's tourist district became clear when I came back to the club that night. The strict alcohol laws of the mainland were either absent or overlooked, and everyone was taking good advantage of this. I sought out another Sondsteadish expat to talk to and ended up drinking with Jenä, an Äldrve University student on holiday, and her classmate and girlfriend Marisa, a Pacitalian.

"I've been here once before, and I love it", Jenä told me. "The city, the rest of the island, both are so [expletive] beautiful, and everyone here is really accepting and the club scene is so [expletive] fun!".

After taking the underground the couple of stops to my hotel, the pounding bass still ringing in my ears, I was able to reflect on my three days in Kington Langley in peace before nodding off to sleep. Despite the architectural beauty and history of Old Kingsmouth, it was hard to escape that the scars of the civil war just a few years ago were still fresh. In time, perhaps, they will heal and the country will be able to move on, but for now, it's hard — and not for lack of trying — to mask what seventy years of dictatorship and war have done to the national psyche.

E̊sbjus Harlan is a travel writer and SRR contributor, the author of most recently in English The International Tourist's Guide to Windstrand. His next book, Sleepless in Anzère, is a translation of his Sondsteadish-language book on the underground club scene and alcohol trade in Hippostania and comes out next month.

This article was translated from the original Sondsteadish by the SRR staff.

by **Kington Langley** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 5:58 pm

Edward0134
Location: Kingsmouth, Kington Langley
February 17 2013

I'll admit that Kingsmouth is not the liveliest of cities and our laws regarding public drinking hours are quite stict but there is more of a nightlife than this article describes. Pubs and bars in the innermost areas of the city do often close at dusk however this has traditionally been due to public disapproval towards public drunkenness. Drinking establishments in the eastern and less affluent areas of the city don't close until the 10pm restriction, on top of this there are no laws regarding consumption of alcohol on private property leading to parties that can go on into the night in residential areas.

ChukBorris
Location: Kingsmouth, Kington Langley
February 17 2013

Nah man, our laws are still quite restrictive for the socially liberal society we say we are. But I don't think we have as many coppers as the article suggests, I personally think we need more on the beat with the rapidly rising population of the city, not helped in any way by the number of Sondsteaders coming over here. To be totally honest we don't need any more foreigners in this country, especially ones that openly criticise our way of life, if you don't like the way we live then go home!

TheAnonymousReader
Location: Farnoa, Kington Langley
February 17 2013

I only travel to Kingsmouth once every few months for the odd conference but when I have to stay the night in the city I can't say that I view it as 'authoritarian'. What people don't seem to realise is that there is more to a city and its culture than the drinking and partying. Any educated Kingtonian citizen will tell you that there are no dictatorial-style curfews and nightclubs still remain open till the early hours, the only difference being their premises and the surrounding streets are not littered with drunken teenagers. I personally enjoy, as did Mr Harlan, walking the streets of Old Kingsmouth and visiting our plentiful historic sites and museums. If you look at it, we are lucky to have retained so much heritage after so much conflict.

Henry11382
Location: Wexchester, Kington Langley
February 17 2013

I agree with Anon, you can't judge the political situation of a nation primarily on its alcohol laws. But the article was an interesting read, I personally didn't know that Narleson has such a laid back approach to laws regarding serving hours. All I can say to that is book me on the next flight to the King Islands! To all Sondsteaders wanting to come to Kington Langley, I say don't hold back. While we may have suffered under a dictatorship we are a tolerant and modern people.

by **Sondstead** » Mon Feb 18, 2013 11:41 pm

BREAKING: Federal Diet authorizes military action against Choryphibeia

19 February 2013

Asteriopol — At a joint session of the Senate and the People's Assembly called by Prime Minister Lindkwist early this morning, both houses of the Federal Diet have moments ago authorized military action against the Conglomerated Corporate Classes of Choryphibeia, as Lindkwist requested following the breakdown of negotiations. The Senate voted 47 in favour with one abstention and the People's Assembly voted 314 in favour with thirty-six abstentions or absences and one voting against.

Choryphibeia has recently engaged in violations of human rights on a grand scale, having been an established slaver state and in the past few days begun conducting a genocide on unemployed persons and repealed laws which provided certain legal protections to enslaved persons. The vote will allow Sondstead to join the growing multinational force which has formed against the rogue state.

The one MPA to oppose the measure, People's Party MPA Jösef-Kjenred Märtenüs (Ojafors 2nd seat), reported he did so as he felt it violated national sovereignty and Sondstead's longstanding policy of neutrality despite his personal disgust with the actions of the Madison Portnuelle regime. Never the less, he was jeered even by some members of his own party as his vote was recorded.

Among the members abstaining was Hedjin Le̊fssunr, co-spokesperson of the Green-Left Party, who was interviewed after leaving the chamber.

"The actions of the Choryphibeian government make me absolutely sick", she told SRR."In my lifetime there have been few things I've seen that are sp hideous. I could not in good conscience vote against this action. But given my personal beliefs I also could not in good conscience vote for war."

"It was one of the most difficult decisions I ever had to take on the Assembly floor.", she added.

Others who abstained cited different concerns.

"You will not find anyone in this country who agrees with what they are doing", said People's Party leader Äleks Karlman, who also abstained, "But unfortunately it is easier for a small country like Sondstead to survive if it keeps it's head down. If we keep to ourselves, no one will have much interest in us."

by **Sondstead** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 11:14 am

Transcript: PM Lindkwist's television/radio address on the Choryphibeia situation

19 February 2013

Only a few hours ago, after all attempts at negotiation were rebuffed, I was forced to make good on my word with regards to Choryphibeia. To make clear to them that they can not ignore the international community nor the desperation of their own citizens. I went before the Federal Diet and requested authorization to take military action against Choryphibeia, a request which was granted. While no one involved desired war and we attempted to the best of our ability to maintain peace while safeguarding the fundamental liberties of the Choryphibeian populace, it is evident we may be forced fight.

There is absolutely no doubt the actions of the Choryphibeian government are hideous beyond words. They have brutally suppressed their people and taken fellow human beings into chattel slavery, a crime so many of us thought humanity had finally moved on from. They have kidnapped unknown numbers of foreign nationals to feed their machinery of hatred, and they have openly threatened peaceful governments of the world with invasion to enslave untold thousands if not millions more — two actions which in particur make their actions not merely a domestic matter that we can cover our eyes and look away from. And they have committed wanton murder of tens of thousands — children, the elderly, the disabled, those who simply had fallen upon hard times and been laid off — for no crime save for the invented one of being unemployed.

Yet, while parliament has authorized military action and if it is necessary it will, unquestionably, be taken, I do not come to you with a declaration of war. Even in a time of such despair, I pray that another solution may be found, and I will reiterate that at this time no state of active military hostilities exists between Choryphibeia and Sondstead. Hope is not completely lost. Indeed, while we are deeply disappointed by their refusal to condemn the crimes of the Choryphibeian regime, we are open to the peace negotiations proposed by the Kingdom of Molreas, on the condition that a cease fire be called and the genocide against the Choryphibeian people be ended.

If in the course of any peace talks, the main humanitarian conditions of my government are met, those being the complete and permanent abolition of slavery in Choryphibeia as well as the release of all foreign nationals held illegally within Choryphibeia, and the permanent end to the genocide, then it is likely we will be able to agree to the terms of the peace and discontinue any and all hostilities. It is my sincere hope that this is an achievable goal and that no more innocent lives must be spent.

If we are unable to achieve our goal through peaceful negotiations and are forced to engage in military action against Choryphibeia, I wish to make it clear that operationally we do not see such a possibility as constituting a war situation. Our intention is purely a humanitarian one to protect the Choryphibeian people from the crimes of their government, to free all foreign nationals unlawfully held prisoner under the Portnuelle regime, and to prevent any further aggression or threats by Choryphibeia against other peaceful nations of the world community.

For this reason I have made it clear to all Sondsteadish forces that there will be clear and strict rules of engagement in all potential operations against Choryphibeia; in particular, we will strictly require all possible care to be taken to prevent civilian casualties. I will openly state to all governments of the world that almost all civilian targets will be entirely off-limits, including munitions and weapons factories, mines, oilfields, and other strategic primary sector industries. All Sondsteadish strikes, if it is necessary to strike, will be directed against military installations and transportation infrastructure not in immediate and active use; we will target rail yards, bridges, and highways but will expressly not target trains or civilian road vehicles.

However, as we ponder this unfortunate possibility, we must remember that even the best of plans are not foolproof and that no matter how well our men and women in uniform execute their missions there will be both civilian and military casualties, Choryphibeian and Sondsteadish. The people of Choryphibeia and the brave men and women of the Sondsteadish armed forces will be in my thoughts and prayers, and I ask that all of you, be you a believer or irreligious, be your faith Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or any other, that you keep them in your thoughts — and prayers, if you prefer — as well throughout these trying times.

Thank you.

Address delivered by Prime Minister Kristinä Lindkwist at 8:05 CET 19 February 2013. Translated from the original Sondsteadish by the Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Sondstead.

by **Sondstead** » Mon Feb 25, 2013 10:48 pm

Transcript: PM Lindkwist's television/radio address on the cessation of hostilities in Choryphibeia

25 February 2013

Ladies and gentlemen. Only a few moments ago, I received notice that the Portnuelle regime in Choryphibeia had surrendered to the allied forces. I have accepted their surrender and as of now, the state of hostilities between Sondstead and Choryphibeia has officially ended.

This day, then, marks a new day for the Choryphibeian people, who have been freed from their chains of bondage at long last. Yet, it also marks day of mourning, a day of finding the dead and laying them to rest, be they Allanean, Choryphibeian, Gordano-Lysandian, Sondsteadish, Zeonic, or any other nationality of the more than a dozen who fought this war. No matter who they were, they sacrificed their very lives in hopes of creating a better world. Misguided as some of them may have been.

And so, we should be thankful not that the war has been won, but that that this war was the unfortunate and tragic means of a greater peace that has now come. And yet now that peace must be won. In this time, Sondstead wishes to extend a hand to the Choryphibeian people in friendship to help them realize their vision of a new, free Choryphibeia. To build a new democracy where for so long the people have known nothing but tyranny. We pledge to do all we can to right the wrongs of the past and create a more peaceful and just future, so that one day, the Choryphibeian people can stand proudly and point to this day as a turning point in their history. And so that one day, perhaps not in a hundred years or a thousand years, the entire world shall be free from tyranny.

Thank you.

Address delivered by Prime Minister Kristinä Lindkwist at 16:15 CET 25 February 2013. Translated from the original Sondsteadish by the SRR Sondstead World radio staff.

by **Sondstead** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 1:28 pm

Women's olympic ice hockey concludes in Liventia
Vulshain walks away with 3–1 gold medal win over host nation team

26 February 2013

City Centre, Liventia — On the penultimate day of the Eighth Winter Olympics in Liventia, Sondstead's attention was focused on the dramatic women's ice hockey final, in which host nation and winter sports powerhouse Liventia faced off against Vulshain.

While the Vulshainians are no stranger to winter sports themselves, the team's fight to the top was tough and captured the attention of many hockey fans in Sondstead, both for the team's stubborn determination and out of curiosity; Vulshain, predominantly a nation of sapient foxes, was seen as something of an oddity by Olympic followers.

Going into the final, Vulshain had only one gold medal under their belt, but in the heated game they proved a match for Liventia and in the end more so, scoring three goals and successfully blocking the Liventian team from scoring several times, with only a single Liventian shot making the goal. Despite the ferocity the women showed on the ice, though, the Vulshainians were gracious in victory and the Liventians gracious in defeat; the Vulshainian captain spoke from the podium thanking the Liventians for a game well played.

"I admit, I hoped I would be out there on the ice tonight", said Löwisä Rübertssünr, the star forward for IHK Windstrand's women's team who was selected for Sondstead's unfortunately unable to compete national team last year, "Still, this was some of the best hockey I've ever seen played, and there was really an uncommon level of sportspersonship on display."

When asked if she had any other message for the winning team, Rübertssünr added "2014. I hope we'll be able to see you there."

by **Sondstead** » Wed Feb 27, 2013 10:46 am

Mark Harlan announces resignation
Asttun-Aldr Sten MPA appointed ambassador to Pavonistade

27 February 2013

_{Mark Harlan has been appointed
as Ambassador to Pavonistade.}

Windstrand — Following the Prime Minister's Office offering him appointment as the Sondsteadish ambassador to Pavonistade, 40-year old Centre Liberal MPA for Asttun-Aldr Sten Mark Harlan has confirmed his intention resign, setting the stage for the second by-election in a month for Windstrand city.

The appointment of Harlan comes as the government seeks to build stronger relations with Pavonistade following the conflict in Choryphibeia, in which Pavonistadian President Benjamin Howler helped lead the charge in the humanitarian intervention to remove Madison Portnuelle from power. The Royal Sondsteadish Air Force fought alongside Pavonistade and the other coalition states in a mission that lasted over the weekend, and remains deployed in Alowwvia while the cease fire is being monitored.

"The Honourable Mr. Harlan has a history of nearly a decade of public service and has been a capable MPA for seven years, which assures me that he will be well suited to continue his public service as ambassador", said Prime Minister Lindkwist at a press conference this morning.

However, several foreign appointments recently made by Lindkwist have come under fire as political, such as appointing former Conservative MPAs Edelbrühtä Wulf and Söfja Cheung, Conservative Windstrand Lord Mayor Karl Wänderz, and Günder Üjeärd, a son of former Conservative Prime Minister Jöhän Üjeärd, as ambassadors. Harlan himself is a sitting MPA and a coalition backbencher, but notably comes from outside Lindkwist's party.

Like the Wänderz appointment, however, Harlan's appointment leaves an office open in Windstrand city which will need to be filled in another by-election. With the state Elections Commission having announced the election will be held on 25 March, it will be held less than a month after the election to serve out the rest of Wänderz's term.

by **Sondstead** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:41 pm

ViZionarian investment firm to buy stake in KMF
Entourage Investment pays $600 million for 13% stake in automaker

2 March 2013

_{KMF notified federal regulators
this morning of it's issuance of 40
million shares in ViZion.}

Twedmünster — KMF Automobile early this morning announced plans to issue 40 million new shares valued at over Kr 3.6 billion via a stock broker in Vitalita, ViZion. And according to reports in the ViZion-based The Economic Pages international newspaper, Entourage Investment Firm plans buy up the entire offering.

The reports that the Vitalita-based investment firm, which is presently expanding into international financial markets, will become the second largest single stockholder in KMF after billionaire investor Lärents Beder has energized the business community, with the new influx of capital being expected to kickstart the automaker's expansion plans abroad. However, other responses have been less enthusiastic.

While the stock offering appears to comply with both Sondsteadish and ViZionarian financial regulations, the unexpected move has lead to allegations that the stock offering was, while publicly available and properly announced to federal regulators, intended specifically for Entourage Investment, which some watchdog groups say is a violation of the spirit of the law albeit not the letter. COO Markus Sölberg confirmed he had contact with Entourage COO Anil VanVickson, but assured that the stock offering was entirely legal.

And KMF's big plans also have some of the brand faithful worried — particularly with industry analysts speculating KMF is preparing to announce a new assembly plant in ViZion following the stock deal. Enthusiast forums were filled with skeptical comments.

"There's always a risk of losing the distinctiveness of a brand when you try to expand your market, especially when you do it rapidly", said Giancarlo diMandragora, KMF's former chief designer and now head of Studio diMandragora in Pacitalia, "And cars, like consumer products in general, often draw on national themes for their distinctiveness, which can be lost in a globalized marketplace where your cars are built all over the world for the local markets."

Some left-leaning politicians have even attempted to capitalize on the issue; last week Lisbet Mörgen, who was elected Minister-President of the Northeastern Lands last year, invited KMF to set up shop in the fast-growing city of Käldrweder, touting the city's status as an incipient centre for clean energy technology, and when slow commercial vehicle sales prompted layoffs at a KMF truck cab plant in Eskerrös in January, the city's Lord Mayor suggested the plant, which assembled cars until 1991, be converted to build more of the company's hot-selling e3 model for export.

Analysts and investors however, reacted with excitement. While the offering diluted share values — the listed price in Vitalita was Kr 90.98 ($15.24), down from Kr 104.18 ($17.45) when trading ended in Windstrand yesterday, analysts were already predicting KMF shares to break Kr 110 ($18.43) when the markets reopen on Monday.

by **Sondstead** » Sun Mar 03, 2013 2:42 pm

Windstrand Mayor: Jöngjr retains job
Conservative Acting Lady Mayor wins comfortable by-election victory

3 March 2013

_{Lineä Jöngjr meets voters, press Saturday afternoon
at her last campaign event before the polls opened.}

Windstrand — Following a month and a half long campaign, polls opened in Windstrand this morning to respectable turnout, with both the Conservatives and Socialist Labour in good spirits — despite the last opinion polling before the vote, on Friday, showing the SAP candidate, Kadjin Fairchild, lagging several points behind Acting Lady Mayor Lineä Jöngjr.

The election results, however, have hewed much closer to the polls than to the hopes of Mrs. Fairchild's supporters. While six percent of the city's polling locations are yet to announce their results, more than 461,000 votes have already been counted — and with turnout estimated at 63 percent, it would be mathematically impossible for Fairchild to find a lead in the remainder, despite the remaining polling stations being concentrated in SAP strongholds in the East End.

In the results as they currently stand, some 226,000 votes (49 percent) have been counted for Jöngjr, 175,000 votes (38 percent) for Fairchild, 35,000 votes (7 and a half percent) for Centre Liberal candidate Mariam Youkhanna, 18,000 votes (4 percent) for Green Left candidate Älex DeFris, and 7,000 votes (1 and a half percent) for other candidates. The biggest surprise of the night proved to be a better than expected showing for the Centre Liberals, who are on track to — by a hair's breadth — recover their deposit.

The other notable number was Jöngjr's share of the vote — 49 percent and likely to decline by as much as two points in the final count. This compares unfavorably to the 56 percent her predecessor, Karl Wänderz, took in the 2011 election for Lord Mayor and even the bare 50 percent absolute majority he took in 2007 in the face of relative Conservative unpopularity — whereas the Conservatives are today enjoying strong poll numbers thanks to a strengthening economy and the successful international mission in Choryphibeia.

"There is definite bright spot for the party tonight, and it's the fact that our prediction that Wänderz was more popular than the Conservatives are was borne out by the results", said Mohammed Kadir MPA (Beckin-Sut 2nd seat), "It wasn't borne out entirely in the way we had hoped, but it's a good foundation to build on."

Jöngjr's victory means she will serve out the remaining two and a half years of Wänderz's term, but she will be up for election to a full term in August 2015 — a fact that Socialist Labour supporters were quick to point out; as Fairchild finished her concession speech, cheers of "2015" could be heard from the audience.

Preliminary results by district

Aldr Sten: Jöngjr Doklande̊n: Fairchild Nerstrand: Jöngjr
Asttun: Jöngjr Dutch Quarter: Jöngjr Nortpalas: Fairchild
Beckin: Fairchild East Kafmenensey: Jöngjr Sutburh: Jöngjr
Burnros and Westerkjirkjh: Jöngjr Kanalholme̊n: Jöngjr Werfentörp: Jöngjr
Centre Sten: Jöngjr Kunsbankjr: Jöngjr West Kafmenensey: Jöngjr

by **Sondstead** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 2:45 pm

Nation, world in mourning after Amaria attacks
Fundamentalist group "The Christian Warriors" take credit for nuclear terrorism that left 20 million dead in ViZion

8 March 2013

_{Media in ViZion released harrowing images of the
devastation in Amaria today.}

Asteriopol and Windstrand — The eyes of the world remain on ViZion after extremist Christian terrorists, calling themselves "The Christian Warriors", detonated three nuclear devices in the city of Amaria, with the death toll now topping twenty million according to the latest estimates released by the ViZionarian government.

Tens of thousands have arrived at a candlelight vigil on Askanjaplakjh to mourn the dead and express their solidarity with the people of ViZion, with the Royal Cathedral being filled to capacity as a requiem mass was held. Among those in attendance at the Cathedral were King Christopher and Lady Mayor Jöngjr, and afterwards the King spoke to the gathered mourners.

"In this time of great sorrow, we will stand with ViZion, and we will never so long as we live falter in condemning such acts of terror against our fellow human beings.", the King said in his speech. "Life is oftentimes something we take for granted, and always something we cannot truly fathom being taken away from us. Every day hundreds of thousands of people have their lives taken away, and we can scarcely find any response but disbelief. Yet we have no choice but to come to terms with these darkest aspects of human nature even as we work with all of our heart to create a more peaceful world."

While Prime Minister Lindkwist had been at Federal Square today, she also released a statement, in part saying "On behalf of the Sondsteadish people and HM Government, I would like to express my utter horror at the events in Amaria, the magnitude of which is nearly unimaginable, and give you and all the people of ViZion my sympathy and my prayers, as meagre as such things may be in the face of such a catastrophe.".

Lindkwist also stressed her own faith in repudiating the actions of the terrorist group, whose leader or spokesman stated in a video played on every ViZionarian network after the group hacked into several dozen domestic and international networks, "Three nuclear bombs have eradicated the godless people, punished by death to meet their Creator for their sins against him. We, as Christians, cannot let a people who claim to be Christian continue to spread such filth, and promote such sin."

"It is not only as a human being I express these feelings, but, in the face of such acts being committed by so-called Christians, I express them as a Christian myself, as a life-long churchgoer and faithful Lutheran.", the Prime Minister stated in response. "It is particularly gut-wrenching for me to see those who consider themselves to belong to my own faith to carry out such vile actions, in such hideous violation of the moral foundations I believe Christ gave us. My mind can hardly comprehend how one could so twist and pervert the message of Jesus Christ, a message of love, peace, and tolerance, into something that allows them to feel at peace with taking the lives of more than twenty million people."

The government responded to the attacks by drastically increasing security, with BDB and Territorial Police counter-terrorism units being deployed to all airports with international flights, while the foreign ministry declared a travel advisory for ViZion. Parliament also declared three days of mourning lasting until Sunday and postponed the planned vote on Organisation for Economic Advancement membership until next week.

by **Sondstead** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 9:37 pm

Will coalition back Conservatives on OEA?
Tomorrow, the Assembly will vote on OEA membership. Will the results reveal the contradictions in the Lindkwist coalition?

10 March 2013

_{Negotiations to create the Yohannesian
lead Organisation for Economic Advance-
-ment began earlier in the week.}

by Jöhännes Nortau

On Tuesday, Kristinä Lindkwist confirmed that the government was going ahead with her plan to join the Organisation for Economic Advancement, a trade bloc organised by Yohannes which is presently being established. After being postponed as the nation mourned the tragedy in Amaria, the show must go on, and tomorrow morning the People's Assembly will vote on it. But one thing remains to be seen; does Lindkwist have the votes for it?

The Conservatives, of course, have rallied around the Prime Minister. And the party has some reason to be feeling optimistic; they're still feeling the temporary wave of support for internationalism that the admitted success in Choryphibeia triggered. But with the SAP left working hard to get most of the party onboard to oppose and most of the other opposition parties already set against it, she'll need to have her coalition partners onboard — something that is by no means assured — and failure could be the beginning of the end for the present coalition.

Cracks in the armour for Lindkwist

On Wednesday, Agriculture Minister Wiktorja Ingjessünr was interviewed in the Astangjr Tiden. Agricultural policy isn't a very attention-grabbing topic for a lot of people — despite it's importance — but there was one line that caught my attention. When asked about OEA membership's effect on agriculture, Ingjessünr replied "I am uneasy with the pace at which the Prime Minister is pursuing membership. It would be prudent to slow down and investigate the impact this will have on farmers more thoroughly."

This doesn't sound harsh, but even if phrased this diplomatically, a cabinet minister openly criticising government policy must have raised eyebrows in the Prime Minister's Office. Of course, if she was alone, she'd be out of a job next election and that'd be the end of it. But the Centre Liberal back bench isn't happy either. OEA will endanger grain and milk tariffs and hollow out the industry, a rural CLP backbencher told me. In ten years we'll be dependent on Maltropian and Yohannesian wheat, he warned. And at the other end, CLP leader (and Deputy PM, of course) Rübert Kle̊mssunr has apparently been reminding Lindkwist that politically, the CLP can't go along with killing agricultural tariffs. They'd be hit hard in October if they did.

The Christian Democratic Alliance has concerns too. Reportedly Foreign Minister Änderssünr has been adamant that, in essence, the OEA needs to be a moral organisation and not just an economic one. His party wants the OEA to have a role in improving humanitarian aid program from the developed to the developing worlds, and they aren't confident it will.

Why we don't need it anyway

I'll say upfront that I believe that predictions of the complete death of Sondsteadish agriculture are hyperbolic. The present agricultural sector in this country has advantages in terms of technology with high levels of mechanization and could potentially be competitive in some areas even without tariffs. But larger countries with warmer climates can outproduce Sondsteadish farms, and opening the market entirely would hurt many people not just in farming but in businesses which depend on it, such as chemical firms, farm equipment manufacturers, rail and road freight companies, and particularly small business owners in small communities.

OEA membership will help sell more cars and electronics to Akimonad and Yohannes — sectors where Sondsteadish companies like KMF and Gamma are highly competitive — but only at the cost of other sectors. There's likely to be no net change, and pessimistically it could be a net negative. And Sondsteadish exports are increasing regardless. Why not stick with a sure thing?

Political fallout

So what will it mean if membership is rejected? On the surface it might seem like the CLP and KDA got what they wanted. Technically this is true, but it also means a loss for the Prime Minister and an indication that her coalition partners are no longer able to see eye to eye with the Conservatives. Coalitions inevitably involve contradictions and this one is rife with them — neutralism or internationalism, pro or anti nuclear, increased or rationalised welfare state, social conservatism or liberalism, nearly every major viewpoint is represented by some party faction.

Lindkwist has done a good job thus far at being the good Christian to the KDA, the tolerant modernist to the Centre Liberals, and the shrewd economic realist to her own party, but she can't be all things to all people forever, and both the CLP and KDA have no qualms about working with the Conservatives or SAP depending on which way the wind is blowing — I should know, having been in both Fritssunr and Penzig's cabinets. They know if they walked out tomorrow, they could give Karl D'Ambrosio the premiership with a working majority and have his ear closely.

On the other hand, what if Lindkwist wins and membership is accepted? The Senate will pass it easily, and it will be another accomplishment under her belt. Behind the scenes, it likely means she was able to convince the rest of the coalition that their concerns will be addressed, which means she'll be able to expect continued support from Kle̊mssunr and Änderssünr. The economic effects won't be as drastic as the most vocal of either the supporters or opposers believe and for urban consumers, prices could well go down, which will help Lindkwist politically. Overall, it's a coalition win, even if it might not be a win for Sondstead in the long run.

Jöhännes Nortau is a former Centre Liberal member of parliament 1989 to 2005 and also party leader and Deputy Prime Minister 2000 to 2004. This article was translated from the original Sondsteadish by the SRR staff.

by **Sondstead** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 6:15 pm

Assembly approves OEA membership
214-126 result in favour, Senate expected to approve as well

11 March 2013

Asteripol — Following several hours of additional debate, the People's Assembly cast it'a definitive vote on Organisation for Economic Advancement membership this afternoon, with 210 voting in favour and 130 voting against, with 11 abstentions or absences including one vacancy.

While some commentators had been pessimistic on the cabinet's odds to get membership through parliament, the margin proved to be a rather broad forty votes, with Prime Minister Lindkwist able to allay the concerns of her coalition partners and win their support, with the Centre Liberals backing the proposal 31-18 and the Christian Democratic Alliance narrowly opposing 11-12.

"It is not 100% perfect", said Centre Liberal leader and Deputy PM Rübert Kle̊mssunr, "But it is good. The Prime Minister was able to assure us that she remains committed to protecting the agricultural sector and small business within the framework of the OEA."

Agricultural policy was the major stumbling block for the Centre Liberals, with fears that OEA membership would mean the abolition of grain and milk tariffs and a subsequent backlash from the party's agrarian base, and concerns remained even after the Prime Minister vowed that she would "rationalise, but not remove" trade barriers, with eighteen backbenchers refusing to back the party leadership and the government.

Somewhat less successful were assurances from the Conservatives to the KDA that they would ensure the OEA takes a moral role in improving economic conditions in poor countries, and despite pressure from the Foreign Minister on his backbench, the government was unable to get a majority of the KDA to vote in favour.

Markets reacted positively to the news, somewhat reversing the sharp drop earlier in the day following the continued terrorist campaign in ViZion, the world's largest economy.

Markets suffer following terrorist attacks in ViZion
ViZion World Corporation CEO Jack Smith assassinated in Vitalita; Windstrand Börse takes sharp hit

11 March 2013

_{Vitalita police cordon off the motorway where
the car of ViZion world CEO Jack Smith was
fatally bombed tonight.}

Vitalita, ViZion and Windstrand — While driving home, the CEO of ViZion World Corporation, Jack Smith, was assassinated in an apparent suicide attack suspected to be the work of the fundamentalist terrorist group The Christian Warriors today — the latest in a string of attacks that started with the nuclear attacks on the city of Amaria, the death toll from which has now topped 22 million.

ViZion World Corporation is the world's largest conglomerate and the holding company for dozens of major international businesses, and the assassination comes at a time when the ViZionarian economy is already facing a massive crisis which has begun to draw other markets around the world down with it. Furthermore it reportedly, according to Mr. Smith's will, leaves his fifteen-year old son Eric in charge of the company.

The story was broken by ViZionarian media before trading closed in Windstrand, and between news of the attack and the belated effect of the Amaria attacks — the Windstrand Börse did not open on Friday due to security concerns and the three days of morning declared by the Prime Minister — the market dropped dramatically by 10.25%. While traders reacted positively after the People's Assembly approved Organisation for Economic Advancement membership and the market recovered some of it's value, at closing it had still seen a net drop of 7.63%.

KMF Automobile, 13% ownership of which was last weekend acquired by ViZon-based Entourage Investment, was especially hard hit, with stock declining by 19% from Kr 113.46 ($19.01) on Thursday to Kr 91.68 ($15.36) at closing today — less than a kron higher than the stock price listed on the Vitalita Stock Exchange last Saturday.

by **Sondstead** » Sun Mar 17, 2013 8:23 pm

Radiatian President Keldon Silviu wins reelection
"Miracle" comeback marred by fears of wider regional war

17 March 2013

_{A tired President Silviu prepares to
speak to supporters in Xian, Radiatia.}

Xerconia, Radiatia — Following a heated campaign that Radiatian political analysts had widely predicted he would lose, the polarizing centre-left President of Radiatia, Keldon Silviu, was yesterday reelected by a margin of less than a thousand votes in the country's closest ever election, against a backdrop of high tensions in the region of Noctur that threaten to break out into a regional war.

Despite being the son of the late President Traiyan Silviu, revered in Radiatia for his role in bringing democracy to the country three decades ago, Keldon Silviu has polarized Radiatians even as he enamored foreign audiences, and faced a stiff challenge from right-wing candidate Kärtsy Nepula, Premier of the island state of Eldura in northern Radiatia. The two had clashed before during Silviu's first term; following the deadly bombings in the city of Kriga, Premier Nepula refused to allow the federal government to prosecute the culprits, Kustaa Ranta and Terho Venäläinen, and instead had them tried in state courts, which sentenced them to death.

Nevertheless, Silviu managed a narrow victory over Nepula, winning the popular vote by just 612 votes out of more than 90 million cast.

"Tonight's results only go to show something we've been saying all along", Silviu said in his early morning speech to supporters, "Every vote does count!".

While Silviu's domestic policies proved unpopular with the powerful Radiatian right, the President's focus has been on foreign policy, which as he is inaugurated for his second term in office will likely remain to largest issue confronting his administration; for several years the Noctur region has been dealing with the insurgency in the Poldanian region of Merrina which has seen human rights abuses by government forces.

More recently, a marked uptick in terrorism has also put the region on edge. And in retaliation for a terrorist attack against the Radiatian embassy in another Noctur state, Segland, Silviu ordered a missile strike on that country's capital just days before the election, destroying the Seglandic parliament and killing more than 80 MPs despite efforts being taken to minimize casualties. The Radiatian government blamed the attack on the Seglandic government.

While under Silviu Radiatia, one of the major regional powers in Noctur, has up until now attempted to remain neutral in the recent conflicts across the region, it now appears it may find itself provoked into further action, with other regional leaders such as Crataan President David Kennedy describing the strike on Segland as "nothing less than an act of war", and on the same day as Silviu was reelected, hardline conservative and anti-Radiatian candidate Karl van Hooft was inaugurated as Segland's new Chancellor. In his first act, van Hooft ordered all Radiatian nationals deported and warned anyone defying the order would be shot.

In parliamentary elections held in Radiatia on the same day as the Presidential election, President Silviu's Social Democratic Union party made significant gains but failed to break the majority held by the centre-right Liberal Conservative Party. Prime Minister Lindkwist sent a letter of congratulation to President Silviu upon his reelection, expressing her hope that peace would prevail in Noctur and that Radiatia would continue to work constructively with foreign governments.

by **Quenholm** » Sun Mar 17, 2013 11:09 pm

Quenholm does not approve of this liberal propaganda.

Aldr Sten: Jöngjr	Doklande̊n: Fairchild	Nerstrand: Jöngjr
Asttun: Jöngjr	Dutch Quarter: Jöngjr	Nortpalas: Fairchild
Beckin: Fairchild	East Kafmenensey: Jöngjr	Sutburh: Jöngjr
Burnros and Westerkjirkjh: Jöngjr	Kanalholme̊n: Jöngjr	Werfentörp: Jöngjr
Centre Sten: Jöngjr	Kunsbankjr: Jöngjr	West Kafmenensey: Jöngjr

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